Architecture of the Getty Center
This image collection, created by Reed College art history professor Charles Rhyne, exalts and explores the architecture of the new Los Angeles Getty Center. The elegant photographs celebrate structure, grace, balance, and proportion -- the elements of effective building and landscape design expressed in a major public space. Take the image survey for a quick tour of this built environment, or explore in-depth images thoughtfully organized into categories such as Maps & Aerial Views, Fountains & Rocks, and Plants, Flowers & Vines.
Kenny G's Popular Guide to Unpopular Music
Don't let the name fool you. The real Kenny G is a popular DJ at New Jersey's cult radio station WFMU. In addition to being a noted experimental poet, Kenneth Goldsmith is steeped in the world of avante garde music: John Cage, Erik Satie, Steve Reich, Harry Partch, and many other little-known musicians. Browse Kenny G's favorite records of 1999 or click around his list of avant sites. Kenny G's links are great places to get lost when you're looking for something new and different.
"Bonjour mes amis, I will be your guide on your tour of impressionism," begins this introduction to what was once a controversial art movement. Travel in a pop-up window with the cartoon boulevardier from salon to cafe, read selected artists' biographies, and best of all, enjoy the paintings. A companion to a 1999 traveling exhibition of Impressionist painting collected by European museums, the site focuses on educating viewers, especially schoolchildren, to understand and experience the innovative beauty of paintings by Degas, Monet, Cezanne, Renoir, Van Gogh, and so many more.
In the proud tradition of the Veggie Van comes the Grease Car, a converted VW Westfalia van that runs entirely on used cooking grease. As it turns out, the first diesel engine exhibited in the 1900 World's Fair ran on peanut oil. Who knew? Your intrepid hosts Justin Carven and Skip Wrightson are currently on a grease-fueled road trip across the United States. Check out photos from the road (including some nifty engine shots), read diary entries in the trip tracker (they just did a segment for Ripley's Believe It Or Not), or learn how to create your own bio-engineered, four-wheeled wonder.
In 1977, at the age of 19, Helena Wajtczak became the first female railway guard employed by British Rail. Now, she is the author of a book titled Women Workers on the Railways 1830-2000, and this photo compilation is the result of her research. In 1918, there were 65,887 women employed on railways; by 1944, the number had grown to over 114,000. In eloquent pictures and text annotations, Helena tells the story of porters, guards, signalwomen, cleaners, clerks, and workshop artisans, workin' on the railroad while the men were away at the front.
From Reykjavik with love comes this beautifully designed resource on Icelandic films: news on current releases, production information for filmmakers interested in working in Iceland, historical essays on classic films, and a searchable archive of past titles. From the first feature film shot in Iceland (1919's The Story of the Borg Family), to this year's Dancer in the Dark, starring pop star Bjork, this is the alpha and omega of Icelandic film sites. Don't miss the feature on Cold Fever, the 1995 small masterpiece about a young Tokyo executive who travels to Iceland to perform a memorial service for his parents.
"Devoted exclusively to finding the most memorable local eateries along the highways and back roads of America," Roadfood is a feast of regional cuisine from the land of the free and the home of the hamburger. Recent restaurant reviews offer a mouth-watering assortment of catfish, fried chicken, tacos, cinnamon rolls, chili, and pie. Search the Roadfood review files by state or by restaurant type, a list that includes everything from all-you-can-eat to vegetarian. In the roadfood-close-to-home excursion, Duarte Tavern's artichoke extravaganza and berry pies appealed to our lunch-hour appetites. Created by noted food columnists and restaurant reviewers Jane and Michael Stern.
Join Kyle B and Justin J, two razor-sharp interior designers, on a tour of various ill-advised interiors used in amateur porn shoots. To quote your hosts, "Amateur porn photography is one of the rare instances where everyday people expose their naked bodies to the public. Seeing your neighbors nude may be shocking, we, however, are more frequently disturbed by the gross display of amateur interior design found in these photos." The human subjects have been tastefully obscured, leaving the truly disturbing stuff exposed. Not for the squeamish.